


I'll Find You

by Engineerd



Series: Birth by Stars [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Jedi Knights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 19:12:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6127234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engineerd/pseuds/Engineerd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Terra didn’t just not pass the trials,” Eraqus said bitterly. “Terra is a great warrior, and defeated every enemy in record time. However…” Eraqus finally trained his eyes on Aqua. They were full of regret. “Terra used the dark side to do so, Aqua. In front of the entire Jedi High Council.”</p><p>She shook her head in horror. </p><p>“He was expelled from the Jedi Order.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Find You

**Author's Note:**

> This work (not so) vaguely alludes to the Star Wars prequels. Aqua and Terra are the same age at the beginning of this as they are at the start of BBS.

In a cruel twist of fate, Aqua - quite literally - ran into Terra in doorway leading to the Jedi Temple. He was heading towards the hangar; she was just exiting it.

Aqua’s face collided with somebody’s chest. An apology was already on her lips when she looked up and saw the face of her oldest friend. “Terra!” she exclaimed, and she couldn’t stop the wave of relief running through her body. Despite everything that had happened on her mission, she hadn’t lost everything. Terra was here, and he would help her, he would understand. “I don’t know if you’ve heard already, about what happened on Naboo, and I think this is classified, but I have to tell you. So much has happened.”

She had expected Terra to welcome her with open arms - more specifically, with a quick hug, a clap on the shoulder, an offer to grab dinner, and a long talk in his room afterwards. That’s how they usually caught up after one of them had been away on a long mission. This had been their ritual ever since they first became padawans, and this had been the longest mission of her life. However, Terra didn’t open his arms. If anything, his hands clamped a little tighter on the bag he was holding over one shoulder. Aqua took a moment to look over her friend. He wasn’t wearing his Jedi robes, but a black shirt, red suspenders, and tan cargo pants. He didn’t even have his lightsaber on his belt, and he had a large travel bag, and - “Terra, your braid is gone!”

She saw Terra’s eyes flit to the spot over her shoulder, where the braid marking her status as a padawan, too, was also missing. His brow furrowed in confusion. He said, “Aqua, your braid is gone.”

She nodded. “I have so much to tell you.” She looked at his braid-less hair again. “It seems you have a lot to tell me, too. You passed your knighthood trials!”   

A look of regret flashed over Terra’s face. “You can’t talk to me about Jedi stuff anymore, Aqua. I - I don’t want to make this any harder than this has to be.”

Aqua frowned. “Terra, what are you talking about?”

“I have to go,” he said. He sounded resigned.

Aqua shook her head furiously. “No, you can’t. Is it a mission? You can delay a day or two, surely. The council will understand. Please, I-” the chasm that had opened up in her chest the day her master had been murdered threatened to swallow her. “A Sith Lord killed Master Ansem, please, Terra, don’t...don’t leave me.”

Terra stood stock still for a moment. Aqua closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to release the emotion that was overwhelming her, when she heard the thud of Terra dropping his travel bag and he finally wrapped her in his arms for the hug she had been waiting for.

She released her breath in a sigh a relief. Naboo, Tatooine, the invasion, the Sith, she could forget about them all for a second. Right here, she was home.

The hug lasted a lot longer than Terra’s normal quick squeeze, but it ended too quickly all the same. When he pulled away, Aqua noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and red, as though he was sick or had been crying. Her eyes must look the same way. He looked down at her, and then kissed her forehead, burying his face in her hair. “I didn’t want this goodbye to be hard,” he murmured. “I’m sorry. I have to go. You may not see me again for a long time.”

Aqua felt tears prickle behind her eyes. She had just lost her master, and now Terra was being sent away. They had grown up together. “Promise you’ll write,” she insisted.

He chuckled darkly. “The council may not be enthusiastic about that.”

“Why?” Aqua asked. “Where are you going? Is it a deep undercover thing?”

Terra stepped away from, and reached back down for his bag. “I - please forgive me Aqua, when you find out. I don’t want to tell you. I want to say goodbye, just like this. The way we’ve always been. I don’t want you to see me differently.”

She shook her head. “I’ve known you as long as I can remember, Terra. What could possibly change the way I look at you?”      

He kissed her forehead again, this time for longer, with the pressure of a lifetime full of good memories behind it. “Goodbye, Aqua,” he said, before sidestepping her and heading off to the hangar.

Aqua stared after him for a long time, even after he rounded a corner in the direction of the transport to the main Coruscant spaceport. She was only shaken out of her thoughts when someone tapped her arm. “Master?” a child’s voice asked. “Who was that?”

She looked down, startled. “Ventus! What are you doing here? I thought you were sent to learn with the other initiates.”

The nine-year-old looked a little contrite. “I got lonely,” he answered. “They were all staring at me. I didn’t like it.”

“They’ll get to know you,” Aqua said. “You’re just new to them.”

Ventus frowned. “I’d rather spend time with you. Who were you talking to?”

“That was Terra,” she answered. “He’s one of my oldest and dearest friends.”

“Oh. Cool,” Ventus said. “Are we going to see him him a lot?”

Aqua looked back in the direction Terra had disappeared. “I don’t know, padawan. I do not know.”

 

* * *

 

After Aqua dropped Ventus off again to study with the other initiates, she stomped her way down to Master Eraqus’s and Terra’s shared quarters - or rather, probably just Master Eraqus’s now, since Terra had been knighted. She rapped on the door loudly, impatiently waited a whole five seconds, and was about to enter Terra’s emergency key code when Eraqus opened the door.

Eraqus looked tired, but greeted her politely all the same. “Aqua. It’s good to see you home.”

“Thank you, Master Eraqus,” she answered formally. “I was hoping to speak with you right away. It’s quite urgent.”

Eraqus sighed and stepped aside to let her enter his home. Aqua led herself to the living room and sat down on her usual spot on the couch - she had spent almost as much time here as she had in her own living room. “Since you’re here, I assume you’ve heard about Terra?” Eraqus asked.

“No,” she said. “I haven’t heard about Terra. I ran into him just when I got here, and he was leaving. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going, just that he would be gone a very long time. He seemed distressed, so I didn’t push him for answers. I was hoping you could tell me the truth.”

Eraqus wasn’t making eye contact with her. Aqua’s eyes ran over the gray streak in his hair, the crow’s feet around his eyes, the slump of his shoulders. “You’ve had a very trying week, Aqua,” Eraqus said. “With this in mind, I would like to offer both my congratulations for being knighted and my condolences for the loss of your master, Ansem.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Master. Although I will always miss him, I know that he is now one with the force.”  She readjusted her seat on the couch. “I never expected to be knighted by combat. Terra and I were scheduled to take the trials simultaneously. Why did his trial get pushed forward?”

“The report you and Master Ansem delivered covering the return of the Sith was quite startling. The high council was worried about our current number of knights. Terra was willing, so I put his name forward.” Eraqus sighed. “I should have known he wasn’t ready. It was my mistake.”

Aqua leaned forward. “Are you saying…”

Eraqus still wouldn’t make eye contact. “Terra failed his trails, Aqua.”

She reeled back. “Wow. But...well, that’s not great, but he’s not the first person to fail the trails, right? Lots of knights failed their trials the first time. He can just study and take them again next year. He doesn’t - has he been sent to study with another master? Is that where he’s gone?”   

“Terra didn’t just _not pass_ the trials,” Eraqus said bitterly. “Terra is a great warrior, and defeated every enemy in record time. However…” Eraqus finally trained his eyes on Aqua. They were full of regret. “Terra used the dark side to do so, Aqua. In front of the entire Jedi High Council.”

She shook her head in horror.

“He was expelled from the Jedi Order.”

Aqua struggled to find her voice. “Terra...Terra would _never._ This has to be a mistake. He’s...Master, please. You know Terra. He’s...Terra’s not like that. He’s good. We can’t just let him go, we - there has to be something we can do. You’re on the council. There has to be something!”    

Eraqus shrugged. “It’s already been done.”

Aqua felt her eyes prickling with tears. It wasn’t fair - she’d done enough crying for Master Ansem already. “Where will he go?”

“I don’t know. I know this will be difficult for you, but he’s no longer a Jedi, and he’s not supposed to have contact with the Order or anyone in it.”

“What?” Aqua asked dryly. “Are there rules for being expelled?”

“Historical precedent, yes.” Eraqus answered.

They sat in silence for a few moments, enough for Aqua to compose herself, before she stood up. “Thank you for your time, Master Eraqus,” she said. “Unfortunately, it is my first day back, and I have much to do before my padawan finishes lessons. I have to find our new quarters and unpack, and arrange for training equipment to be allocated, and much else.”

Eraqus stood as well. “I’m glad you dropped by, Aqua. I think it best you heard the news from me.” He cleared his throat and said, “New padawan already, I see.”

She nodded. “It was my master’s dying wish that he be trained. May the force be with you, master.”

 “And you as well,” he answered.


End file.
